


Act III - Hold Onto Me

by Browneyesparker



Series: Love Scenes [3]
Category: The Mentalist
Genre: Broadway, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-31
Updated: 2013-07-31
Packaged: 2017-12-22 01:00:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/907040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Browneyesparker/pseuds/Browneyesparker





	Act III - Hold Onto Me

 

**_“If there are times you find that you are feeling weak/lie next to me, I’ll hold you ‘til you fall asleep”_ **

**Sutton Foster, Always_**

Teresa Lisbon was enjoying a leisurely morning to herself when a sharp knock on her brother’s front door interrupted it. A jolt of fear shot up her spine and for a second, she considered _not_ answering the door especially what had happened the evening before. But when the third round of knocking started, she told herself that she was being ridiculous and she got up from the island to see who was there.

She peered through the peephole and saw that Patrick Jane was standing on the front porch, looking a little worst for the wear. She pulled the door open without another moment’s hesitation and stepped outside.

She waited for him to speak first. But he didn’t say anything. . . didn’t answer any of her unasked questions. After a moment or two, he collapsed into her arms and clung to her like a drowning man clung to a life preserver.

Dozens of questions filled Lisbon’s mind, but she didn’t ask any of them. She knew better than that, instead she just held him close and allowed him to silently draw from the strength that only she could offer.

They stood like that for a full ten minutes before she decided to move them somewhere a little more comfortable. She pulled him inside and closed the door behind them. Then, she led him to Tommy’s guest room and sat him down on the bed. She made quick work of discarding his shoes, jacket, and vest before lying down and tugging him down next her.

“Lie down,” she whispered. “Let me hold you until everything’s better again.”

He quickly complied. After he had crawled under the covers and settled down next to her, Lisbon turned to face him and put her arms around him. He reciprocated the gesture, wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his face in her neck, holding her close.

His breath was warm against her skin and she was acutely aware of his spicy cologne, of his heartbeat. . . a steady tattoo against her arm. She had the sudden urge to kiss him, to make him forget all his troubles if just for a few minutes, to experiment with the chemistry that was becoming more and more palpable between them as the years ticked by.

Instead, she gently stroked the curls at the back of his neck and asked him if he wanted to talk about it.

“Maybe later,” he replied as he released a deep breath.

“Later,” Lisbon agreed, supplementing the urge to kiss his lips with a tender peck on his temple before she brought him in a little closer and held onto him a little tighter as he rested his head on her chest.

Moments later, he was fast asleep.

She didn’t succumb to sleep as easily though. She stared at the ceiling and counted cracks while she stroked his hair and prayed that he’d be alright, that he would talk to her later just like he had said. Subconsciously, she prayed that they would be able to share more moments like the one they were sharing now.

Moments that would include just the two of them in love and without any worries. Moments that wouldn’t be tainted by Red John.

She was certain whatever it was that had driven him to her arms _was_ Red John related, and nothing to do with his brother. Because nothing else agitated him the way that anything related to the serial killer did.

She sighed as she slid her hand from Jane’s hair and entwined their fingers, wishing he would have just talked to her instead of keeping secrets. She wished she could have prodded and probed until he talked to her, even though she knew it was better that she left him to himself and allowed him to come to her in his own time.

He always did eventually. And even then he only gave her fifty percent of the truth, it was usually enough to ease her worries a little bit though. Most days it was better than nothing, because he was letting her in. And that was all she ever wanted.

Lisbon closed her eyes as she rested her chin on his head and listened to his quiet breathing. She tried to fight off the wave of drowsiness that suddenly hit her. She didn’t want him to wake up alone, but she hadn’t slept much the night before. She’d been pumped up on too much caffeine, adrenaline, partial fear, and kisses that hadn’t happened.

And now in the safety and warmth of Jane’s arms, she couldn’t stop herself from drifting off as hard as she tried to stop herself from doing it.

**.**

She didn’t wake up until she heard a door slam and her niece’s cheery voice calling out for her a few hours later. And even then she completely forgot about the situation she was in until Annie burst into the room and started giggling.

“Ooops,” she said through her laughter. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

Lisbon forgot to be embarrassed as she untangled herself from Jane’s arms and brushed her hair out of her face. “It’s fine,” she said. “Did you just get home from school?”

“Yup,” Annie replied smiling at Jane as she perched on the edge of the bed. “So, how long have you been here?”

Jane sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “Almost all afternoon, I guess.”

“Nothing happened,” Lisbon said quickly defusing the situation, hoping that Annie wouldn’t press the matter any further.

“Yeah,” Annie answered dryly. “I believe you. Anyways, I have to go and do homework. I hope you’ll stay for dinner, Patrick.”

Lisbon didn’t add that wanted him to stay, she didn’t want to make him do anything he didn’t want to.

Jane shrugged. “Maybe.”

 

“I won’t take no for an answer,” Annie told him. “We’re ordering Chinese, I’m sure that there’ll be enough for everybody.”

Jane looked at her as she crawled out of bed and pulled her hair into a ponytail. This time she nodded and added her opinion. “I’m sure that Tommy won’t mind if you stay,” she answered, hoping that this would be enough to make him.

“I guess I’ll stay then,” he answered.

“Great! I’ll tell dad that we’re having another person for dinner!”

“So, do you want to talk about it _now_?” Lisbon asked after Annie had left the room, ignoring the returning urge to kiss him as she started to make up the bed.

Jane helped her straighten the pillows and pull the covers up. “What makes you think something bad happened?”

“Intuition,” Lisbon answered. “You wouldn’t have come and seen me today if something wasn’t really wrong. What happened when you went and saw Kane today?”

Jane shook his head. “I’m still having trouble believing it myself. I’m afraid that if I say it aloud, I’m going to have to start believing it.”

She sat down on the bed and patted the seat beside her. “Come, talk to me. We both know you want to.”

Lisbon waited and after a moment, Jane sat down beside her and let her take his hand. It took a few more seconds, and then he finally told her everything that was bothering him.

**.**

“You’ll be okay without me?” Lisbon asked as she walked him out to his car after they had eaten dinner.

“If I’m not, I’ll know exactly where to find you,” Jane answered, turning to look at her. “Promise me that you’ll stay safe. I’m worried for you, now more than ever.”

“I promise that I’ll try,” Lisbon replied. “But I don’t think anything will happen, Kane is probably too scared to do anything to me now.”

“I’ll feel better knowing that you’re taking precautions. We’re so close to catching him, I can feel it. But I don’t want anything to happen to you in the process.”

“If it’ll make you feel any better, I’ll sleep with a gun _under_ my pillow instead of in the nightstand,” Lisbon teased.

Jane laughed inspite of himself and pulled her into a hug. She closed his eyes and wrapped her arms around him, holding onto him like her life depended on it. “Sounds good to me, you can never be too careful,” he replied.

“Words to live by,” she replied, smiling at him. “Promise me that you’ll be safe too, that you won’t do anything stupid like kidnap Kane and force him to bring you to Red John.”

“Like I’d do that,” Jane said as he let her go.

“I never underestimate you,” Lisbon answered, letting her arms fall to her sides.

Jane grinned. “Good for you, Lisbon. You’re learning.”

“Go on,” she whispered. “Before it starts to get late. . .”

_Before I beg you to stay the night with me. . . before I kiss you and say things that I shouldn’t say right now_ , she thought to herself.

“I’ll see you later,” he said, getting into his car.

“See you later,” Lisbon echoed, wrapping her arms around her waist feeling an acute sense of déjà vu when he drove away and left her in the glow of the porch light and moon.


End file.
